


But We Will Save Ourselves

by alorarose



Series: Word Wars [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Team Parents FTW, budding Mama McCall/Papa Stilinski, escape plans are awesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-08
Updated: 2013-08-08
Packaged: 2017-12-22 18:58:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/916871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alorarose/pseuds/alorarose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spoilers for episode 3x10: The Overlooked.</p>
<p>Continuation from the closing scene of ep 3x10.  The Sheriff and Melissa, fully vested members of Team Badass, don't need anyone to come save them.  They can save themselves.  And they do.</p>
            </blockquote>





	But We Will Save Ourselves

"How long have you been down here?" Melissa asked as she tested the rope binding her hands. This shouldn't be too hard. Her hands were even tied in _front_ of her. That was rope tying no-no number one, right?

"Not long," The Sheriff had been working on his own bindings. He glanced at her, a slew of questions sitting on his tongue. Questions he didn't know he should be asking. But this was Melissa, they'd known each other for _years_ , had been through a hell of a lot raising their sons and the most pressing question was about her son.

"Oh, just ask it, John. I can hear your brain working in overdrive from here," she wiggled to try and loosen the ropes. If only she could get a hand out. 

"Scott... " he watched her carefully. "He's--"

"A werewolf?" she shrugged, looking up to meet his eyes.

"You knew..." his eyes narrowed. "How long have you known? Is Stiles--"

"No," she cut him off. "Your son is not a werewolf. I've known for months. Since that night at the police station."

"You've known _that_ long and you haven't said anything to me?" he didn't mean to raise his voice or for it to sound as accusatory as it did but he was already beating himself up over not trusting Stiles when he told him. But how was he supposed to believe his son when it all seemed to come from his highly overactive imagination? "Melissa, these are our _kids_."

"Believe me, I know, but this is _hardly_ on the list of the worst things our children have done" Melissa huffed in frustration. "Right now I think getting out of here is the more pressing issue, hmm? We can talk about the crazy lives of our teenagers once _we're_ safe and sound and--"

"Not on the list for ritual sacrifice," he trailed off softly. "Shit, okay," he looked around, trying to see how the ropes were secured behind him. He was tied to the beam, same as her but his hands were secured behind him. He sighed. "I have a knife," he said quietly. 

"Why didn't you say so sooner!"

"Because," he made sure to keep his voice low, unsure they were as alone as they seemed. "It's not exactly in an easy to reach place and my hands are tied. Literally."

"What? You don't have it in your _underwear_ do you?" Melissa looked him over skeptically. "You got like a sheath in there?"

"Melissa," his voice was low and firm in an attempt to get them back on track. "Seriously?"

"John, I've had a _really_ bad day. Cut me some slack, okay?" she tried a glare but it was more exhausted than anything else. Then she noticed the stain on his shirt. "You're bleeding."

"I'll be fine," he shook his head, "believe me, I've had worse. Now the knife," he stretched his leg out to see how close to her he could get. "It's in my boot," he whispered.

Melissa looked down at the boot that was within touching distance. "Really? How is that even comfortable?"

"Focus," he shook his head in disbelief. "The hilt is on the inside, just below the brim of the boot."

Melissa's lips formed a straight line and a look of determination came over her features as she figured out how to get the right angle to be able to get to the knife. It was awkward with the way her hands and ankles were tied. She was going to have to take his shoe off. 

"What happened at the hospital?" he asked quietly as she worked. Her own feet were on either side of his in an obvious effort to remove his boot. He moved however she needed but he could see the nervous energy she was trying to hide and he needed to distract her while keeping her focused. "I heard the call come in about the extra ambulances to move patients but things at the school were..." he shook his head.

"Storm knocked out the power and those thick windows aren't as thick as they need to be, apparently," she laughed as she untied his laces. "The kids were there, then the bad guy was there. They're always quite charming aren't they," she looked up briefly. 

He huffed a short laugh in response. "Bad guy I saw was a woman and wasn't so charming," John pulled his foot back gently as she tugged on the boot. The laces weren't loose enough yet. "Though Stiles did mention there was more than one. I should have listened to him," he sighed. "This whole time, he was nearly spot on and I _didn't listen to him_."

"Hey," Melissa stopped and threw him a stern look. "Stop that. I wouldn't have believed Scott either until I saw his face, saw what he'd become. You're a cop and you were looking for the logical in trying to figure out this mess when it was the furthest from. Apologize to Stiles once we're out of here." She pulled harder on the boot and it finally popped off his foot. "Wow," she looked inside at the boot knife. "That is handy."

"Yeah," he smile wasn't as sincere as he wanted it to be. 

"They're still good kids, even with all the crap that's been going on," she continued as she pulled the knife free of it's sheath and turned it in her hands to start working on the rope. "Even though they fall asleep on guard duty," she smiled at that, picturing Isaac and Scott when she'd woken up. "They're all good kids."

"I know they are," John let out an exhausted breath. "I just wish my son had felt like he could talk to me about this. It would have made so much of it so much easier." If he had the energy, he would have cheered when Melissa cut through the ropes binding her wrists and started on the rest. 

"I think," she hesitated, looking for the right words and trying to piece together all the things she'd learned and reasoned out. "I think they worried that having us in the know would put us in more danger. I'd rather know the danger was coming for me," she said. "And I know you'd rather the same."

"I would," he nodded. It took her no time to get herself completely free and she started on his ropes. He saw her looking at his shoulder while she worked but knew she wouldn't be able to see much through his shirt. He was amazed at how deftly she worked that knife, figuring it was the product of her profession, the different tools she used. It made him really look at her, really _see_ her as more than the girl he'd known since forever ago. "I'd like to know if the bullets in my gun will be useless against whatever it is that's coming after me. I think that's completely fair."

"Completely and totally fair," Melissa agreed, pushing aside the ropes that held him against the beam before going to the rope around his ankles. "And now you know. Now you know that there are things out there that can heal from gunshots and much worse." She noticed him watching her and she flushed under the scrutiny. She pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, even though it wouldn't stay there long, and handed him back his knife. "We should, uh.."

It took him a moment to process that he was free. He'd been staring at her and he could feel his pulse speed up. Now was _not_ the time for this. He pulled his boot back on and slid the knife into its sheath. He stood and offered her his hand, but she was already on her feet, ready to go. She smiled in thanks, nodding her head slightly, and he thought nothing of simply taking her hand and heading for the steps. 

He heard movement, saw the shift in shadows and quickly pushed her aside, behind him and out of the line of sight. He thought there might have been two of them, based on the movements and labored breathing he could hear, and they were hesitating just out of his view. 

"D-dad?"

John jumped back onto the stairs, Melissa in tow, and rushed out of the root cellar. There, standing at the top were two pairs of unsure eyes, one set belonging to his son and the other to Derek Hale. Stiles was suddenly a blur and hugging John more tightly than they'd hugged in years. The relief poured off his son and John's heart ached for what he must have gone through. "We're okay, kiddo, let's get as far from here as we can."


End file.
